Caregivers in non-nursing roles to strike at Kadlec Regional Medical Center
By Dan Thesman on Wednesday, August 14th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
RICHLAND, Washington – Service Employees International Union’s Healthcare 1199 NW local has issued a 10-day notice of intended labor action at Kadlec Regional Medical Center involving more than 1,100 caregivers in service and tech roles. The strike is planned to start at 6 a.m., Tuesday.
SEIU said the strike notice follows an emotional bargaining session that took place last Thursday where members of the union bargaining team made up of frontline workers shared personal stories of evictions, financial duress, and declining mental health, stemming from the workers’ inability to provide for their families due to stagnant and insufficient wages.
Once the strike ends, Kadlec said it looks forward to returning to the bargaining table and issued this statement in response to the strike notice: “Strikes do not support progress towards settling contracts”.
“We’ve depleted our PTO (paid time off) banks to show up at the bargaining table and get this contract settled,” SEIU bargaining team member Mona Chalmer said. The certified nurse assistant added, “There’s been no compassion, no real acknowledgement of our sacrifices, and very little urgency toward settling a contract that we can bring back to our coworkers.”
All Kadlec’s facilities will remain open, and all services will continue. Kadlec says it will maintain its daily operations and has contracted with a staffing agency to fill the gaps.
Photo via Kadlec Regional Medical Center
